How to Play Softball: Throw Down Drill

Learn how to develop skills specific to each base and perfect your tee ball skills.

The idea behind this is to practice making your throws to each base. We will start out with second base because that is the primary one in which catchers need to be solid to. The catcher receives the ball into their throwing position. Their glove comes up towards their back shoulder as they receive it, gets it out, and at the same time she is driving forward hard and aggressively with her footwork. She will step behind with her back foot, across with her front as she drives forward. Fifteen repetitions is real good here and then to the move around the bases. Take 15 to second, then 10 to 15 to first, and 10 to 15 to third. This variation of the throw down is for the throw to third base. It's imperative here that the catcher as she receives the ball she will step behind to clear herself from this right-handed batter as she goes around. So you step behind to clear yourself from that batter and then to make the throw. If it's a left-handed batter then it's not necessary to step back behind and go around you can just drive straight through, direct line to third base, very good footwork as she comes through the ball. This variation in the drill, throwing to first, this will primarily be for pick-up attempts. You have to worry about when there is a left-handed batter here because they will be in your way. You need to side step with the right foot as you clear to get around them. The batters to the back of the box, she needs the sliders foot away to clear, as she receiving the ball to create the angle into to her throw. You need to use your judgment here, if the batter is forward in the box. The batter is forward in the box then that's not necessary. She can just turn, pivot, and make the throw. Throws to first here; ideally, you want to receive the ball even deeper in to you, so that you are already turning to make the throw. She actually receives the ball right into her throwing position where she makes transition from her glove to her throwing hand. Her glove comes all the way back past her rear shoulder, so that she is in a good receiving position and goes directly into her throw. In this variation in the drill a friend, parent, coach will call out the base that they want you to throw to - two, three, one. You can go through that; again, you want to speed it up, have a whole bunch of the balls at your disposal, the person that's either tossing or throwing them you don't really need a full-length pitcher. You can have somebody in 10-15 feet from them. Just soft tossing the ball into them and you can go through the repetitions. You can do it in terms of minutes or bucket of balls, have people at each base and have them make those throw until you are out of balls.